The Oakland Raiders imported several veteran names in the offseason hoping to bring the suffering franchise back to respectability. But a look at the team's true future begins with Khalil Mack.

The Raiders used the No. 5 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft to land the linebacker out of Buffalo. General manager Reggie McKenzie looks at Mack and sees a playmaker from his past.

"He's reminded me of Clay Matthews from Day 1," McKenzie said, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. "He's one of those guys that knows how to set the edge, and he has length and power and some tools to rush the passer. He's got that first step, he can bend, he's relentless."

"That's what Clay was, you don't have tell him to go sic 'em," McKenzie added. "He just innately does that. Khalil is that same way."

McKenzie was the Packers' director of pro personnel when Matthews was taken with the 26th pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. The two players are nearly identical in build: Matthews is 6-foot-3, 255 pounds. Mack stands 6-3 and 252.

If Mack can match the way Matthews plays, the Raiders hit the jackpot.